U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,370,773 and 9,481,939, as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication No US2016/0251766A1, describe a series of anion exchange membranes that were synthesized by functionalizing a styrene-vinyl benzyl chloride (VBC) polymer with a positively charged cyclic amine. The membranes showed record performance in a CO2 electrolyzer, but the membranes were soft and easily broken so they needed to be reinforced with another polymer or cross-linking agent to obtain enough mechanical strength to be used in practice.